Casa Artxea I y II

Environment´s information

The Valley of Baztan is spread out, wide, surrounded by mountains and splashed by villages, neighborhoods and cottages with its terraces, regattas and cliffs. Every villages from the valley are worth to visit, at least owing to the color and manor of its houses, generally with gable roof and perpendicular facades to the roof that are big in order to protect it from the air and water; the gate is typical and there is also a hallway. But what distinguishes the valley is the big amount of medieval towers and Renaissance and Baroque palaces which were built by American-Spanish or servers of the Court of Madrid that reached a title of nobility. The tourist can visit museums such as the etnographic Jorge Oteiza (Elizondo) or the sculpture museum Santxotena (Arizkun). Likewise, it is worth to bear in mind the waterfall of Xorroxin (Erratzu), the dolmens of Izpegi and the megalithics of Erratzu-Aldudes. The last Northern villages are Urdazubi/Urdax and Zugarramurdi whic are frontier with France; from the first, besides an old monastery of San Salvador and the mill, the caves of Ikaburu or Urdax are worth to visit, located in the road of Zugarramurdi. Of this last population, the best known is its cave, famous for being the place where the Inquisition against the witches of Zugarramurdi takes place. In the West of Arraoiz is the Natural Park of the Manor of Bertiz, a wonderful tourist destination.

Arraioz

Picturesque village from the valley of Baztan, close to the Natural Park of Berlitz and to Elizondo which has all the services. There are three Gunsmith Palaces in the village. The oldest Basque ball game you can see next to the square of Iaxoa. The Parish is Baroque with wakes in the garden and thumbs in the framed porch. Its most peculiar traditional festival is “Erreginak et saratsak” in May, where the little girl-queen of the year is chosen in a curious ritual. The patronal parties are the first Sunday of September.